Taming the elements. The varied utilization of geothermal energy in Iceland

The utilization of geothermal energy is a substantial feature of everyday living in Iceland. In Reykjavík, the capital 99% of the houses are heated with geothermal water and a considerable part of the vegetables consumed in... [ view full abstract ]

The utilization of geothermal energy is a substantial feature of everyday living in Iceland. In Reykjavík, the capital 99% of the houses are heated with geothermal water and a considerable part of the vegetables consumed in the country are grown in greenhouses all year long. However, the increasing popularity of outdoor swimming pools all year long is a surprising and unexpected example of the country’s geothermal utilization. The focus of the study is to explore the relation between human health and well-being and sustainability in the context of the utilization of geothermal energy in Iceland. The study explores the significance of abundant geothermal resources Icelanders enjoy, the comfort of inexpensively heated homes and easily accessible year-round public spaces where young and old can gather irrespective of social standing, age and bodily condition. The outdoor public swimming pool has in recent decades become the most frequented gathering place nationwide fostering characteristics as a place of democracy and wellness. The project contributes to the reassessment energy policy, which has a priority status on the agenda of the newly elected government in Iceland as for other government around the world. The approach is, for the most part ethnographic, based on detailed interviews of over 200 pool goers framed within the larger perspective of socioeconomic impact of the geothermal energy in the country. The successful introduction of geothermal water for universal household heating and its use for outdoor swimming pools and hot water tubs has transformed everyday practices and perspectives in regard to heat and cold. In this respect heat and cold can be understood as both historical and contextual. Harnessing geothermal energy into a controllable resource, relating to temperature and corrosion, was a question of developing scientific and practical skills from scratch. Different kinds of problems relating to corrosion due to the specific chemical composition of the water presented itself, its subsequent successful use being based on an adoption of appropriate technology which, given that the utilization is in accordance of sustainable criteria, has led to a unexpected diversity of use with varied socioeconomic and cultural implications. The paper argues that the adoption of appropriate technology in the use of geothermal resources has had pervading social and cultural consequences, normalizing its generous use and yet in a way that is responsible and ecologically sustainable. The utilization of geothermal water has come from being a response to a dire social, climatic and economic situation to contributing to issues of social welfare and overall wellness.

 Keywords: Geothermal energy, sustainability, wellness, health, every-day life.